🔗 Share this article

Search parties have successfully guided all of the last trekkers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in the Tibet region to safety, including scores of local guides and yak herders, authorities stated. This wraps up one of the biggest search-and-rescue missions ever seen in the area.

Massive Evacuation Operation Completed

Several hundred of explorers were became trapped in deep snow over the past few days in the secluded Karma valley, after an unexpectedly fierce snowstorm dumped heavy snowfall across the region.

Snow continued to fall all day Saturday in the valley, which is located at an average altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had guided approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone.

Previous accounts had estimated that the remaining roughly 200 travelers were anticipated to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, coupled with more than 300 escorts, yak herders, and other assistants were rescued, according to government reports released on Tuesday evening.

Survivors Describe Harsh Situations

One from China traveler recalled how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, obliging them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They chose to go down on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated.

“On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we learned the snow was deep in the valley, too; community members, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Climbing Plans Thwarted

The severe weather also thwarted the goals of climbers led by a US-based expedition outfit to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between the People's Republic of China and Nepal.

Tourism Increase in the Area

Karma valley was first explored by western explorers a century ago. In recent years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent visitor draw, the area has drawn an growing number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists visited the Everest region last year, establishing a unprecedented number.

Region Remains Closed

The Everest region is still currently off-limits to the public, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Effect

The significant snowfall over the weekend also affected numerous of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unfortunately, at least one individual succumbed, due to a combination of hypothermia and altitude sickness.

Atypical Conditions

October is typically a high season for the area, with typically clear and pleasant weather, but one participant of an 18-person trekking group that made it back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “atypical.”